Were Watford that good?

It might sound ridiculous considering the result, but this was not one of the Hornets' best performances of the season, even if it was one of the most memorable results. After half-time they were comfortable and dominated the game, prior to the second goal going in, however, it had been an even and slightly sloppy game. Newcastle were never particularly threatening and lack any sort of creativity or potency in the final third, it's just that Watford were not on their game. When they got the ball into dangerous areas, it looked like they could hurt Newcastle, the problem was they were wasteful in possession and had plenty of moves breakdown before it got there. That was the feeling of the players after the game too; that they can be much better. It is a marker of this team that they still won - and in style too. That members of the Newcastle press pack were so impressed says that, maybe, this is a little harsh on Watford. But having seen some of the attacking play and dominant displays earlier in the season at Bournemouth, Southampton, even their performance at Chelsea, expectations are higher than ever at Vicarage Road. Maybe this was a good performance, one that plenty of other Premier League teams would have had down as their best of the season, but Watford have set the bar high. That's not a bad thing though.

Man mountain

Christian Kabasele's improvement this season must have surprised even him. Once again he was the standout performer in the Hornets' backline and has made himself undroppable with his displays. This was one of the best of the bunch, too, as he threw his body in front of shots and bullied Newcastle's strikers. Early on he tracked back and used his strength to shepherd Joselu off the ball as he broke through. There was another block to stop a Joselu shot in its tracks and a more memorable one to deny Mitrovic when Watford were three to the good and Kabasele was on the floor. That showed his desire to keep a clean sheet and they were only the big moments, throughout the game he was magnificent. It is also worth mentioning Sebastian Prodl here, who came off the bench for his first action since late August. He was back at it straight away, cutting out crosses and mopping up at the back. A welcome sight.

Read More

Competition at full-back

Prior to last week, it would not have been wrong to suggest Watford could be lacking in depth at the left-back position. Marvin Zeegelaar, after all, had not played regularly for Sporting Lisbon previously and Jose Holebas' performance at Everton was poor. But that is wrong; Zeegelaar backed up his debut with a fine performance on the left flank and set up the first two goals. He was dangerous going forward, has quality when delivering and defensively, so far, has looked strong. Holebas, who has been one of the more consistent performers since the start of last season, was not even on the bench. It was Daryl Janmaat this week, although the former Magpie didn't get on, and he has not featured recently. Kiko Femenia on the other flank had a quieter game, but full-back is a position of strength for the Hornets currently and playing three central defenders gets the best out of those picked.

Andre Gray of Watford scores his side's third goal past Robert Elliot of Newcastle United

Short of confidence

Andre Gray will feel a lot better about himself after netting Watford's third, you can't help but feel there is more to come from him, though. Firstly, his goal: it was a classic striker's finish, busting his gut to get on the end of a cross and converting from close-range. His celebration, cupping his ears to the travelling fans, showed his frustrations from earlier misses. But it masked what was a frustrating day, he admitted as such after. He raced through on goal at two-nil, shifted the ball onto his weaker foot and horribly shanked a shot wide; he also may have stopped Tom Cleverley and Will Hughes from having simpler chances in the box, such was his desire to score. And near the end, a tame effort rolled into Rob Elliot's hands when it should have hit the back of the net. It's harsh on Gray, to a certain extent, because he works hard and stretches opposition defences, but, ultimately, strikers are judged on goals and he has only scored two in a Watford shirt. Hopefully his one yesterday can give him more confidence and proves to be the start of a purple patch.

Read More

Watford fans

Newcastle is the longest away trip of the season for Watford, and it just so happened to be on the coldest day of the season so far. There will have been plenty of early alarms yesterday as those who hadn't made a weekend of it began their long journeys and, boy, were they rewarded. The away end at St James' Park is in the Gods behind one of the goals and there are 14 flights of stairs to navigate on your way up. But the travelling 'Orns won't have minded as the three goals went in and there was bedlam in the away end. There was the usual array of songs and even the chance to poke fun at the home fans as they left early. It has been a season of fine away days, but this will have been right up there for the Hornets' loyal fans.